Baseball cards have been a popular collectible item in America since the late 19th century. Whether it’s chasing rare vintage cards from the early 1900s or collecting the latest modern issues, people across the country enjoy building baseball card collections. The city of Redding, located in northern California, has developed a passionate baseball card community over the years with several local shops catering to collectors.

One of the largest and most well-known baseball card stores in Redding is Bob’s Sportscards, which has been in business for over 30 years. Located downtown, Bob’s Sportscards occupies a large retail space filled from floor to ceiling with boxes upon boxes of cards available for collectors to look through. In addition to carrying the latest releases from Topps, Panini, Leaf and other major manufacturers, Bob’s also has an immense inventory of vintage cards dating back to the earliest tobacco issues from the late 1800s on up through the 1980s.

Bob and his staff have spent decades acquiring large collections from collectors and dealers across the U.S. This has allowed them to amass one of the most extensive vintage selections in Northern California. Bob takes pride in having reasonably priced commons and short prints from old sets mixed in with his higher end rarities, giving collectors of all budgets a chance to build their vintage collections. Along with singles, Bob’s also carries factory sealed wax boxes and cases of vintage sets.

For those chasing the biggest stars and rarest gems from the early days of the hobby, Bob’s vault in the back of the store houses his true crown jewels – complete vintage sets still in their original wrappers, unopened cases of the iconic 1952 Topps set, and single mint condition cards like 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner, 1914 Cracker Jack Joe Jackson and 1914 E134 Shoeless Joe Jackson. While priced far above what most collectors could afford, being able to view these masterpieces in person is a thrill for any card fan.

In addition to its impressive retail store, Bob’s Sportscards also runs a large online business with an website featuring thousands of individual vintage cards and complete sets available. They ship worldwide and work hard to accurately grade condition on even their lower-end vintage cards. Bob and his staff are also more than happy to help collectors put together want lists to fill in holes in their collections.

Another Redding baseball card shop with a strong focus on vintage is Dave’s Sportscards, located just a few blocks away from Bob’s. While smaller in size, Dave prides himself on having a very meticulously organized vintage inventory sorted alphabetically by player into long boxes. This makes it easy for collectors to quickly look up specific players they need for their sets.

Like Bob’s, Dave has spent decades acquiring collections to stock his shelves. He’s constantly going through his inventory to break apart incomplete sets someone may have sold him in order to make individual cards available. This benefits collectors trying to piece sets like 1959 Topps, 1970 Topps, or 1981 Donruss back together. Dave also carries a nice selection of vintage team and league sets.

In addition to his extensive singles selection, Dave’s also has unopened wax packs, boxes and factory sets from vintage years like 1952, 1956, 1960 and more. He enjoys helping collectors try to pull the stars and short prints they need from these untouched products. Dave’s friendly, low key approach to the hobby has made his shop a favorite gathering place for the Redding card collecting community for many years.

While Bob’s and Dave’s lead the way for vintage cards in Redding, the city is also home to several other shops with strong baseball card offerings. Sportscards Galore specializes more in modern issues, with a huge stock of newly released cards still in packs, boxes, and cases for collectors to break. Owner Tom enjoys helping organize group breaks that are always a fun social experience.

North State Sportscards in Anderson, just 20 minutes south of Redding, also carries a deep selection of both vintage and modern cards. Owner Jeff is a talented graders and is happy to analyze condition on potential collection purchases. He also runs a well-attended Redding-area card show each spring that draws dealers from all over Northern California.

With its concentration of high-quality, well-stocked card shops, Redding has developed a real hotbed of baseball card collecting activity and community over the decades. Whether browsing vast vintage selections, chasing down modern parallels and autographs, or simply chatting with other fans, the hobby is alive and well in this Northern California city. Collectors near and far appreciate having such great local resources to fuel their baseball card passions.